1. Technical Field
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) environment, and more specifically, to technology for providing a subscriber identification module (SIM) profile to an eUICC.
2. Related Art
A universal integrated circuit card (UICC) is a smart card that is inserted into a terminal and used as a module for user authentication of a mobile communication network to which a user subscribes. The UICC may store a user's personal information (for example, short message service (SMS) files and a phonebook), and information on a mobile network operator (MNO) to which the user subscribes (for example, an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and a home public land mobile network (HPLMN)).
The UICC is called a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) method, and a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) method.
When the user installs the UICC in the user's terminal, user authentication is automatically performed using information stored in the UICC, so that the user can conveniently use the terminal. Moreover, when the user replaces the terminal, the user may detach the UICC from an old terminal and install it in a new terminal, to easily replace the old terminal.
By installing the UICC of a desired mobile network operator, it is possible to easily change the mobile network operator and use the terminal.
That is, in an existing UICC environment, a prepared SIM profile is embedded in a separate card according to requirements of the mobile network operator (MNO), and the card is distributed separately from the terminal. In order to subscribe to services of a specific mobile network operator, the user purchases a terminal and a UICC, inserts the UICC into the terminal, activates the terminal according to activation procedures set by the operator, and then uses the terminal.
It is difficult to downsize a terminal which requires a compact size, for example, a terminal for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, when the terminal is manufactured to have a detachable UICC. Therefore, an embedded universal integrated circuit card (hereinafter referred to as an “eUICC”) structure that is a non-detachable UICC has been proposed. In the eUICC, information on user who uses a corresponding UICC needs to be included in a form of an international mobile station identity (IMSI).
In an embedded UICC, which is integrally installed in the terminal, the eUICC is built into the terminal when the terminal is manufactured and released, unlike the existing detachable UICC. Due to its non-detachable physical structure, it is difficult to change the MNO by detaching the eUICC.
An eUICC device having the UICC embedded in the terminal when the device is released needs to manage SIM profile information remotely due to its non-separable physical characteristics of the UICC from the terminal. Therefore, a subscription manager or a profile manager to manage subscriber information has being discussed. Direct communication between terminals (hereinafter, use together with device to device (D2D) communication) refers to a communication method of performing direct data transmission and reception between two adjacent terminals without passing a base station. That is, two terminals perform communication such that each terminal serves as a source and a destination of data.